25 to Start Again
by worldisminein21days
Summary: Konoka leaves forever and Setsuna is left on her own. Somehow she finds herself in America and takes on a new name. She starts her life over with the help of a new friend. So much time has passed until the fateful day she finds a girl with Konokas face.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello dudes I'm worldisminein21days but you can call me World or Lux if you like**

**This is the first story I'm bringing to fanfiction ever so please tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously dont own anything that you may recognize from the real world.**

**please enjoy!  
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**Chapter 1 -Encounter**

_-6 years later_

"Lissa, we got a another order of pizza that needs to go out!" the owner of _REGI'S DAMB GOOD PIZZA _called out to Lissa from the kitchen as Lissa came in the front, doorbell jingling as the door closed. She wiped the sweat from her brow, with a gloved hand that only revealed her fingers, taking her shiny black side bangs from her face; it was a hot summer day in New York City, and Lissa was starting to run out of gas from delivering pizza everywhere. She took off her grey sweat jacket, tossing her long loose black-blue hair as she did so, leaving her only with a black tank top and grey sweat pants. "No problem boss!" she grabbed the two pizza boxes from the counter, "where's this one going?" she leaned over the counter, her slender yet muscular biceps flexing, to look into the kitchen were Regi was busy preparing more pizza. Not looking up from the dough he was kneading, "go to the Millenium Hilton Hotel, down Futton Street. The guy who made the order will meet you in the lobby to get the pizza." He looked up at Lissa now and said, " this is the last delivery I'm giving you for the day, so make sure you run back so I can give you your check so I can go home." The big guy said with a grin. Lissa smiled back and said " thanks Regi, Ill be back in a few" She pushed off the counter with the pizza in its bag and ran out the door.

As she ran she slung the bag over her shoulder so that the strap was on her right shoulder as the bag stayed at her left hip. As she ran down the sidewalk, pushing past pedestrians, she started to think back to how she wound up here in this bustling city. A lot had happened since Konoka had left the academy.

Setsuna had been forced to leave Mahora because according to the headmaster, Konoka leaving was her fault and she should have prevented it, saying, "you are fortunate that I see you as family Setsuna-kun or the punishment for this would have been death". Setsuna sighed still running. It had taken her forever to even come close to getting over what happened and even now the memory scorched her mind. For months, she asked herself "_why couldn't she talk to me?" _and_ 'were are you Konoka?' _but she never could answer any of these questions. For a while she just went around Japan doing what ever she could to get food and shelter were ever she went. About a half year later, however, she finely just snapped in the middle of a McDonalds when she saw someone who had the same hair as Konoka. She burst out yelling like a maniac, crashed through a window and ran. She ran for days, not sure what to do with herself, all she knew was that if she stopped running the thoughts of Konoka would come again so she kept going,, and when her legs began to give out on her she spread her wings out and flew. Over oceans and mountains she went, through Asia and Europe, and over the Atlantic; it seemed like she would never stop.

Until her body began to shut down from the lack of food and strain from days of constant movement. She began to fall from the sky, her wings now useless, almost dead limbs, flapping around in a tattered mess as she plummeted downward to the now growing view of the city lights below- then nothing.

She awoke days later to find herself in the home of a magician, in Miami Fl..

America.

How she got there was beyond her and she really wasn't in the mood to find out. She needed to get back to Japan, maybe even find Konoka if she could, but the magician stopped her. Setsuna had always been pretty decent when it came to speaking in English, so communication wasn't a problem. The Mages name was Tifani Largaespada, and she claimed to know every thing that had happened to Setsuna, in the past few months. Setsuna thought she was crazy, but the more Tifani explained the situation the less crazy the idea became. Apparently, this girl mage had made probationary contract with one of her friends and her artifact (which looked like a half moon attached to a chain) gave her the ability read the heart and mind of whomever it touched. The mage felt really bad for what happened to Setsuna and offered to let her stay with her back in New York while she got her life back on track. The broken warrior wasn't sure what she should do, but the more she thought about it the more she realized she really didn't have anything to go back to. Konoka left her behind, she got kicked out of Mahora, the Shinmeryu wouldn't take her back, she didn't even know where her precious sword, Yunnagi, was. So she left for the big Apple a few days later, leaving her old life behind along with her name. Tifani was the one who came up with the idea, She said "might as well if your gonna be living here in America for the rest of your life, and…" she went on to say "this gives you a chance to start over and be a new person, to forget before and live for the future…" So Setsuna's new name became 'Lissa Largaespada', also Tifani's idea.

And so, Setsuna started her new life in America, and little by little she (kinda) got over the whole Konoka thing and became the pizza guy for one of the best pizza joints in New York City. Hell, for her standards, she had it pretty good. Her English even got so good; you could barely hear her Asian accent anymore.

So here she was, your classic illegal immigrant, starting her life over in America. The hanyo smiled to herself as her long legs sprinted across the side walk, she had grown a whole foot taller since she started living here, something she always wanted living back in Japan. '_I wonder if Konoka got any taller'_ the hanyo quickly put the thought aside. She was Lissa now, and Lissa does not know or care about Konoka.

She looked up and saw the hotel coming into view, so she slowed to a jog, not even close to being out of breath. When she reached the entrance she slowed to a walk, and went in through a revolving door. The Hotel was pretty nice, with marble flooring, the Chandelier on a high ceiling and two golden elevators to take you to the upper floors; it was pretty nice. She scanned the area for the guy who had made the order, and immediately spotted, to her cursed luck, a little girl who looked like a young Konoka, walking toward her. She was looking straight at her with chocolate swirling eyes, a slight grin on her face and a ponytail swaying as she speed walked towards her. Setsuna's jaw slowly began to drop the closer she came; this girl didn't just have a resemblance to Konoka, she was exactly the same as she remembered Konoka when they were little, maybe a little older. "umm…excuse me" the child said now standing only three feet away. She was about 4 ft, and wore a pink light jacket with jean shorts. Still a little shocked by the crazy resemblance the troubled crow, stuttered, "a-are you the one who ordered the pi-pizza?" she blushed when the girl smiled so hard her eyes squeezed shut, just like Konoka did. "Yeah, that's me" the little girl shoved her hand into her jacket pocket, her tongue sticking out as she rummaged through it. _'this is to much' _ Setsuna thought as she stared at the child in something like awe, _'there is no way someone could look so much like…' _

The girl grinned when she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and handed it to the hanyo, who was lost in thought still staring at her. When Setsuna didn't make a move to take the bill, the girl took a good look at her face for the first time since she had approached the pizza girl. "hey… umm…miss?"

Setsuna snapped out of her thoughts then and said "oh! I'm sorry" she reached out and grabbed the bill from the small girls hand. Setsuna proceeded to pulling the pizza's out of the bag, and looked at the receipt that was taped to the top box. Balancing the boxes on one arm she reached into her right pants pocket to give the girl her change. When she finally pulled the correct amount of change out she put it on the boxes and leaned down to give the girl the pizza, but it seemed like it was the girls turn to stare at Setsuna lost in thought, her mouth hung open slightly. When she finally came back down to earth, the girl shook her head and grabbed the pizza from Setsuna. Holding the pizza against her stomach so the change wouldn't fall off, she stared down at the boxes, and said, "umm…Miss?" the girl said and Setsuna, hesitantly, replied "…yes?" the girl took a deep breath and looked up suddenly with a determined look in her eyes, "is your name by any chance Secchan?"

Setsuna's eyes went wide as she took a step back, _'who the hell is this girl?' _the crows thoughts going a hundred miles an hour _'only Konoka called me that…how can she know that nickname?' _she choked out an answer "n-no" the girl sighed in disappointment, believing the obvious lie Setsuna told her. "oh" the girl pouted gripping the boxes in her hands tighter then said "Sorry… " the girl walked away from Setsuna and through the revolving doors, out of the hotel. Setsuna stood there for a moment not really sure how to explain why that girl new her old nickname, why she looked so much like the girl she had been trying to forget for the past six years.

She decided not to think about it. "I'm Lissa now." She said under her breath, gripping the bag with her left hand, looking at the ground. "just forget about it" she lifted her head and took swift strides to the revolving doors, and began to run back to Regi's to get her check.

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><p><strong> hey guys! so what did you<strong> **think? did it suck? please tell me because if you dont I wont continue.**

oh and if your wondering about the American name I gave to Setsuna, that kind of just came off of a whim and i thought it worked so...yeah.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again guys.**

** Thank you anyone who reviewed this story, I appreciate it **

**So here is a slightly longer chapter then the last.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2-That's some shit...<strong>

"_you promise Secchan?" Konoka said holding Setsuna by the hand, looking down at the ground, "you promise you wont leave me, no matter what? You wont go and die on me?" her grip tightened as tears started to fall from her face. The hanyo could not stand to see her Ojou-sama's tears so she grabbed Konoka and made her face her with hands on her shoulders, her eyes reflecting a promise stronger then the words that came from her mouth. "Ojou-sa-" she stopped herself and the crow shook her head, a smile forming on her face "no, Konochan. I give you my word, I will never leave your side, for as long as we live"_

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><p><strong>Present day<strong>

'_JINGLE' _went the door as Setsuna walked in with the empty pizza bag in hand. "finally" a big guy said when he turned to look at her ,were he was sitting at the counter as she walked in. "come on, hurry up and sit here Lissa" Regi patted the stool next to him. The only light sorce was coming from the kitchen. She walked up to the counter curiously, wondering what he wanted, and sat down compliantly, setting the bag on the floor. It was dark outside now, about 7:00 and Setsuna was tired; both physically and mentally. "what's up boss?" she said with her head turned in his direction. He slapped her on the back hard enough to cause her to grab the table to steady her self "I got you something for your birthday, kiddo- well I guess your not a kid any more huh, Lissa?" He was right, she would be turning twenty-one on Sunday tomorrow. The crow looked sternly down at the counter, still gripping the edge. _Its also the day Konoka left. _She shook her head pushing the thought back. _I've thought more about Konoka today than I have for the past three years… _

Not seeming to notice Setsuna's solemn expression, Regi continued, "well, here" She was jerked out of her thoughts by the sound of key jingling on a small keychain In front of her face. The confused Hanyo stared at what was in front of her wide eyed, then she turned to him "You didn't" she said excitement dripping into her voice as the implications of what he was giving her finally clicked. He shoved the key into her right hand and said "Its not like its only from me. Tifani was the one who put in most of the money in to pay for it" he pointed to the kitchen, "go on; its out back" he said grinning at how fast Setsuna had gotten up. She sped walked through the old kitchen taking long strides over the linoleum floor to get to the back door. She stood in front of the door for a moment, looking serious, then grabbed the cold door handle and swung the door open. Setsuna's jaw dropped eyes wide _'no…way.'_ Still holding the door wide open she gaped at what was probably the best present she would ever get in her entire life and for the first time ever, Setsuna squealed with a burst of giddy excitement and jumped in the air unable to contain herself. " The KAWAZAKI 2012 KLR 650!" she jumped over to the black shining motorcycle just brimming with all the girlish squeals she had never used. When she reached the bike she finely regained her composure but still kept a slight smile on her face as she ran a calloused hand over the fine leather seat. Setsuna had grown a huge fascination for motorcycles because of her first job working at a motorbike shop, and this was the latest model for the KLR 650. "like it, huh?" she heard from behind.

Her smile grew a little wider. She knew whose voice that was. She turned to be greeted by one of her dearest friend standing by the door grinning at her. "Tif, you didn't need to by me such an expensive gift" Tifani walked over to Setsuna, still smiling, "shut it Lissa, you know you love it." Tifani was small, only reaching around Setsuna's shoulders at her full height. The crow looked down to see her tan round face framed by her wavy black hair that was almost as dark as her eyes, such a deep black that reflected a wisdom beyond her years, hidden by her joking personality. Setsuna had grown to respect and trust the girl standing before her, more so then she ever had even Konoka. She had helped her start over, realize the importance of self-respect and loving yourself for who you were. She owed this beautiful dark skinned woman so much and here she was getting a motorcycle from her for her birthday. "Tifani... thank you so much" she tilted her head a bit and gave her a half smile "I don't deserve a friend like you" Tifani in response back handed her shoulder and walked passed her to the bike. Setsuna turned around rubbing her shoulder and wincing a bit, "what was that for?" Tifani had leaned over behind the bike and picked up two helmets, one a sleek and cool black with tinted lenses and the other most likely an extra, not really anything to look at, for a second passenger. She turned back to her with an exasperated look, "You give me way to much credit, dude" she passed the nicer helmet off to Setsuna, "you know this kinda of stuff is chump change compared to what I make. Anyways, who says I'm not going to be borrow this thing on the weekends, huh?" she gave her a wicked smirk before putting on the helmet she still had in hand. Tifani gestured her head to the bike and said, her voice slightly muffled from the helmet, "come on, were going to my place. There's one more thing your gonna get tonight." Even through the helmet, Setsuna caught the slight tinge of discomfort in her friends normally casual voice at that last sentence, before putting the helmet on and hopping on the bike. "Then, let go" she started the bike and Tifani hopped on and she took them to her house.

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><p>"Oh my God, Lissa, I hate you" hazel eyes glared at the crow, currently having her leg thoroughly rubbed by a, bigger then normal, black cat, Tifani laughing as she went in search for something in a back room of her huge apartment. Tif's place was really nice, nothing to fancy because that was how she liked it, but clean and cozy. Setsuna was currently sitting on one the dark red leather couches in her living room. The big screen TV was on for the person who had been occupying the apartment before they had arrived, that was sitting on the other side of the couch she was on. Her glare further intensified as the cat jumped on the couch and made itself comfortable in Lissa's lap. "I've had that stupid cat for ten freaken years and he barely even looks at me." she pointed an incredulous light skinned hand at the hanyo petting the big cats head "but you see him once and he's in love with you! I feed you, you stupid cat!" she now directed her glare to the cat, seemingly oblivious to blonds rant. "I'm sorry?" Setsuna said not really sure what to say.<p>

This was Corry, the girl Tifani had made a probationary contract with years ago. Setsuna, being friends with Tifani, had also grown pretty close to to the pretty blond. They were childhood friends and when it came to relationships Tifani had with anyone , Correy was inevitably also part of the package.

"Leave the girl alone, Correy" Tifani came back into the room, turning the T.V off with the remote. She was holding a long narrow cardboard box, a bit over five feet long under her left arm, with a pensive look on her face. She went over to Setsuna and handed it to her a little Heseintly, and went to sit on the couch across from her. "What is this?" Setsuna asked looking at the box giving her a feeling she couldn't identify, but was sure she had felt before a long time ago. There was a slight pause as the cat jumped off the crow, no longer comfortable with the big box in the way. A closer look on Setsuna's part showed that the box had been shipped from Japan, and the box had already been opened. She looked up at Tifani for and explanation and her friend let out a long breath. " This," she gestured to the box " came in the mail about a week ago." she linked her hands together and rested her elbows on her legs. "I wasn't sure if I should give this to you or not but... you should just open it and see for yourself."

Setsuna had the slight feeling of foreboding leak into her head from the back of her mind. Along with her friends obvious discomfort, what ever was in the box was giving her a feeling she wasnt so sure she wanted to feel again. She looked down again and hesitated. _'Why does this feel so... comfortable? Familiar?' _Correy moved to sit next to Tifani as Setsuna finally started to open the box. She took the cardboard off, awkwardly because of how long it was, to reveal another box, this one made of shiny black wood with clasps on the side to keep it closed. She let it rest on her lap for a moment before lifting the clasps with a click, and slowly opened the box.

The sight almost made her cry.

Her mouth hung open in shock, eyes taking in the light oak wood that made the sheath for her long lost nodachi. "how..?" she slid her fingers over the wood tenderly, barely touching it, before she grabbed the sword with both hands. Not taking her eyes away from the sword, she pulled the sword out enough to see the never dull blade shine in the dim light of the room. This was her blade. Yunagi. Given to her by her, once upon a time, master, Eishun.

"Who sent this here?" she looked back up at Tifani who was starring at the blade as it disappeared back into it sheath. She leaned back into the couch and shrugged "I don't know. It was on my doorstep one morning about a week ago. I wasn't sure if that was the sword you used to talk about at first, but judging by your reaction just now, it was." Setsuna gripped the sword a little tighter in thought, confusion evident on her face. _'who could have found this and how did they know I was in America?' _ she knew she lost Yunagi somewhere in Japan while she had been in her little frenzy and thought she would never see it again. Bringing Setsuna back from her thoughts, Correy nudged Tifani with her elbow and said, "Tif, what about that note? Remember, you didn't want to open it?" Tifani smacked her head a bit. "Crap, your right. I almost forgot." she looked back at Setsuna said "There should be a letter in there. It's in an envelope. I was pretty sure that this was for you so I didn't want to read it if it was something private."

Setsuna quickly looked around the box, moving the cloth that had been keeping the sword in place. under the cloth she found the envelope she was looking for. There was nothing written on it to show who it was for. She opened the letter and read:

_Dear Setsuna,_

_Or now known as Lissa, _

_This is Konoe Konoemon and I believe it is your right to know that we here, back in Japan, have after years of searching, have finally located Konoka. She is in America now as I write this and though I do not expect anything from you, considering how I treated you, I thought it would be best for you to know. She was last seen in Time Square in New York City, were you now live. Enclosed in this letter is the image that was captured of her, in case of any doubt you may have. Unfortunately we have not been able to get in contact with her and do not know much of what has happened to her since her unwanted departure years ago. Please if you see her, Setsuna-kun, make sure she is all right. I know I shouldn't be asking this of you but please, if there is anything at all that you can do please make sure she is well. _

_Most likely you have already noticed but I have sent your sword with this letter to you. It was located on a beach on one of the small islands around Japan. I wont go into detail about how we retrieved but Eishun wanted you to have it back. It was his gift to you and he has never regreted having given it to someone who cared so much for his daughter. _

_I speak for all of us back here when I say, we hope you have found happiness. I am deeply sorry for how you were treated by me and though I don't expect your forgiveness, you are always welcome back here if you if need us._

_With deepest regards,_

_Konoe Konoemon_

Setsuna didn't know how to react and for a moment was completely stunned. She couldn't help but think _'that's some shit...'_

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><p><strong>Hi thanks again for reading and please review.<strong>

**Sorry about the American Name Setsuna has, the idea for the name came from another story I was planningon writing for fictionpress**_,_ **and it kinda just got stuck in my head... :D**

**Tifani is my name to lol, but the character in the story in not me lol****. **

**And about how tall Setsuna is, in the manga it says some were how tall she was and I remembered it being somewhere around 5 ft or less so... yeah do the math lol XD. She's tall!  
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_**Also before I go I have a question. Are the different names Setsuna has confusing to follow? Should I just stick to one name?**_

_Again please review because if you don't I wont continue  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all who reviewed last chapter. You guys are awesome! So here is the next chapter. Belated as it may be, I hope you still enjoy.**

**Happy late whatever holidays you may celebrate!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3- Glad to be Unhappy<strong>

Setsuna woke up the next day in her own apartment. She had barely slept at all and was now staring blankly at the ceiling. After she had finished reading the letter she just got up and told Tifani she needed to go and left. Later after she was home, Tif called her on her cell asking if she was alright. She told her about Konoka being in New York and the headmaster asking her to find her. Tifani just told her to relax and wait till after her birthday weekend was over to worry about. Problem with that was she couldn't really relax knowing that Konoka was so close. She was angry. If Konoka was alright why had she left? Setsuna gave her all for that girl and she just up and leaves for the hell of it? No, Setsuna always thought. She would always give her the benefit of the dought, because there was just no way her Ojousama would ever just abandon her after all they'd been through. After all she had given up for her.

If Konoka was alright now then why hadn't she gone back for her? At least try to let her know she was alive and healthy, instead of putting her though the torture of never knowing what happened.

Setsuna was very angry at Konoka, but most of all angry with herself for still feeling so happy she was near and almost within her reach again.

_'Why can't I just not care?'_

She thought miserably, but mostly because she knew exactly why she still cared and that hurt her even more.

So, her birthday got off to a bad start. She grudgingly sat up in her bed and looked to the corner she had leaned Yunagi against.

_'At least something good came out of the headmaster's untimely delivery'_ She couldn't deny she was genuinely happy to have her nodachi again.

She smiled despite her unsettled thoughts and looked about the room. Her apartment wasn't as big as Tifani's but she liked it. It was basically made up of two rooms with no door to separate them. One that was her bedroom, which she was in right now, and the other, slightly bigger, that had her small kitchen and living room, that was really only a couch and a flat screen TV.

She looked down at her feet at the sound of rustling and saw movement under her white bed sheets. A tiny yellow head popped out from under them and let out a yawn. "Hello there Rai." She reached out and scratched the little furry head behind it ears. "Hopefully you got better sleep then I did" the tiny fox that couldn't have been bigger than her foot, leaned its head into her touch.

She remembered getting Rai, the little she fox, on her birthday to, a long time ago...

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><p>"<em>Go ahead and relax for the day, Setsuna-kun" Setsuna was in the headmasters office standing before the desk that Konoemon was sitting at. It was Setsuna's birthday and she was looking forward to spending her day with Konoka. "I believe my granddaughter made plans for you two today, correct? Go have fun and let the men I've assigned for the day, take care of keeping Konaka safe." Setsuna bowed her head in a quick gesture "thank you Sir, but I will still protect Ojousama with my all" Konoemon sighed "very well Setsuna, but do please try to have fun" she nodded and with a smile, she left the room to go find Konaka.<em>

_It was still early by the time she got to the dorms. The crow went straight to Konoka's room to pick up the outfit Konoka had wanted her to wear for their day out. Sword slung over her shoulder like always, she knocked on the door and waited. Moments later she heard hurried steps rush to open the door. The door barely opened for more than a second before a girl jumped out and took Setsuna down to the ground "Happy Birthday, Setchan!"_

_Setsuna looked down, with a blush, at where she should have seen her breast. Instead she saw a chocolate brown head rubbing thoroughly into them. "Ojousama! Please stop!" Konoka continued her coddling "Noooppppe~" Setsuna shut her eyes tightly, trying to think of anything else besides the girl currently straddling her and foundling her breast with her face, _'she has no idea what she does to me…' _ then a burst of good luck (bad luck… you decide) came when a certain red head came to the door "Konoka, get off the poor girl before she pops a blood vessel." Reluctantly, Konoka lifted her head from her Setsuna pillow. "Mouuu, Asuna." She got up and Setsuna sighed in relief. "Happy birthday Setsuna" Asuna had walked up to Setsuna and held out her hand to help her up. "Thank you, Asuna-san" she accepted the hand and was tugged up to her feet. Asuna looked at her with scrunched eyebrows for a second and said,_

"_hey… did you get taller?"_

_They were currently at perfect eye level, when before Asuna would have to look slightly down to make eye contact. Setsuna was now just about as tall as Asuna._

"_Yeah I did" Setsuna smiled as she said this_

"_About two inches."_

_They walked into the room following Konoka_

"_You're finally growing into yourself I guess" she clapped her on the shoulder. Negi came up from the side "Happy Birthday Setsuna-san. I hope your having a good day so far?" Setsuna saw Konoka slip into the closet from her peripheral, to grab the half demons outfit. "Thank you Negi-sensei, I am" his eyes lit up as he remembered something "Aw, me and Asuna-san got you a present" he rummaged though one of his coat pockets until he seemed to find what he was looking for. Setsuna looked flustered "oh, you really didn't need to get anything for me" Asuna stood next to Negi "its your birthday Setsuna. Getting presents is part of the deal." Negi pulled out a tiny red box with a gold bow on top and held it out for Setsuna. "We're your friends Setsuna. You don't have to be so uptight." Asuna took the box from Negi's hand and put it in Setsuna's hands before she could protest. "Negi, brought this home the other day and when he told me what it was I told him to get rid of it." She scratched her head making the bells on her head ring a bit. "He said he couldn't do that, so I said why not give the thing to the birthday girl" Setsuna was confused now and looking at the tiny box that barely reached the size of her palm. It felt warm to the touch, most likely from being in Negi's pocket, but Setsuna could feel something like a pulse coming from inside. She started to open the box, first removing the ribbon then carefully tearing the wrapping paper. She opened the little red wooden box that was inside, and was puzzled to find an even smaller egg, cushioned by a soft black cloth. Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion, _'am i supposed to eat this...?'

_The egg was yellow with tiny purple spots and, once Setsuna picked it up between her thumb and index finger, she now knew that the heat she thought came from Negi's pocket, was actually coming from the egg itself. "Setsuna-san," Negi took her attention from the egg, "that egg holds a very special animal spirit. If you keep it with you long enough in your possession it should hatch on its own. I'm not entirely sure what kind of animal will be in there but regardless of what animal, it suppose to bring its master great fortune." He scratched his head and gave her a smile "I received it as thanks for assisting an old mage awhile back, and though I would love to keep it for myself, I wont be able to control it once it hatches." _

_Setsuna cocked her head to the side "and what makes you think I can?" Asuna stepped in here "the reason I gave the suggestion to give this to you in the first place was because, if what Negi says is right, if this spirit isn't controlled by someone with demon blood the master will start to go crazy and the spirit will begin to rampage" she made a gesture with her hand "you have said requirement so I figured, what the hell, right?"_

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><p>That egg had long since hatched. The fox was not a very welcome companion at first considering how it reminded her of friends back home, but the fox easily made its way into Setsuna's heart. Rai now was always connected to her and always knew what the half-demon was feeling. She was a very good councilor because of this. Not that the fox could speak, but it seemed to project it thoughts and feelings to her in a way she could understand almost as naturally as if the fox had been speaking.<p>

"**yes I slept well" **the fox answered Setsuna's earlier question**"...I let someone inside the apartment while you were still sleeping" **Rai communicated to Setsuna, and for a second she thought she had misunderstood.

"you let someone in here?" Setsuna stopped petting her head and looked down at the little spirit.

"**Yes, I sensed a demonic presence near by very faintly and only for a moment. I thought I might have imagined it, but decided to take precaution and see what it was" **

Setsuna interrupted "and did you find anything?"

The fox stood up in the bed and jumped down to the floor gracefully, **"nothing dangerous, but I found this peculiar girl a few blocks down in an ally."** she let Setsuna get up from the bed before continuing, **"she smells of very strong concealing magic..."** she paused and began to walk out of the room to the living room **"Its a very familiar smell and... I think its better if you just see her" **the she fox jumped on to the armrest on the couch and looked down at the small figure quietly sleeping there.

When Setsuna saw the girl her eyes widened "I saw this girl yesterday, at the Millennium Hotel yesterday..." she looked at the girls sleeping face and couldn't help the emotion that came, bubbling up from her stomach making her feel a sense of calm reflecting the peaceful face she looked at.

"why was she in an ally" she said softly now, not wanting to disturb the girls sleep. Her eyes never left the Konoka doppelgangers face.

"**I'm not completely sure, actually. She was disoriented, and kept mumbling something about her mother being taken. She didn't even notice me there until I began to speak to her-" **Setsuna cut her off, her shooting up.

"Wait. She can hear you? But only demons should be able to."

Rai was calm and said **"its very faint and barely noticeable, but there is some demon in her. Half demon."**

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><p><strong>Hi guys! I'm ending the chapter here because its taking me to long to get it done and I don't want to keep you waiting anymore. The reason it was taking so long though is because I changed my original idea. So from now on I warn you that I don't even know whats going to happen anymore. My original idea was going to be to depressing for my taste so I went with my gut and went a different way. I also changed the way I formatted the text so please tell me if that made a difference.<strong>

**So like always please review and tell me what you think or I won't continue. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, thanks for reading this and thank you X10000000000 to the only person who reviewed last chapter! **

**This one is a little shorter but you get a bit of interesting information that might start giving you clues as to what really happened 6 years ago.  
><strong>

**I hope You all enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4- Take it all<br>**

** A month before Setsuna's birthday- 6 years ago-**

_"My name is Hayden"_

_a man of dark skin stood at Setsuna's door, in her dorm. It was late at night, but Setsuna had been up long before this unwelcome visitor had arrived at her door. She sensed him and what he was from miles away. She could never forget the feeling of the crows of her old tribe, and his presence alone brought an old form of dread she used to feel long ago. The difference between these two was clear with only a glance, though in reality they were half siblings. Setsuna's fair, nearly pearl, white skin, looked almost ghostly in comparison to the tan skin of a genuine pure blooded crow demon. The only resemblance one could probably find was the sharp eye's they both had and dark hair; but even then Setsuna's hair was only dyed that color._

_"You might remember me as your broth-" Setsuna cut him off_

_"Yes I remember you Hayden" She glared up at him for he was a foot taller then her, _

_"but not as any brother of mine."_

_She gripped the sheath of her sword which she held ready. _

_His earlier calm face was now twisted into scowl as Setsuna continued._

_"As far as I know, I was disowned and banished, so please do not speak to me as if we are old friendly acquaintances" _

_Normally Setsuna would not be responding with anger like she was doing now, but it was the only thing she could do to push back her creeping fear of the implications of his visit. Something had to be very wrong for one of her tribe- especially him, to come here._

_"Just tell me what you want."_

_She watched him push back his scowl and brought back his mask of calm._

_"I'm not here to fight you, but things have changed,"_

_he hesitated for a moment then continued, _

_"we need you back."_

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><p><strong>Present day -<strong>

Setsuna had to wonder why the heck the past couldn't just stay where it was supposed to be- in the past. No, instead, on the day she was supposed to be celebrating the day of her birth she had a mini-me Konoka to worry about, who was just waking up.

The only thing she could think of though was God just plain hates her.

"Tifani, I can not do this"

She was on the phone with her just in her bedroom while Rai tended to the little girl.

"Lissa," Tifani paused to laugh at Setsuna's panicked voice "your acting silly you're just taking care of a little girl. It not that hard."

"I'm not good with kids,"she said urgently into the phone "what am I supposed to do with her?"

Tifani sighed,

"find out what happened to her first. That would be good start." she paused

"you do know that this is way too much of a coincidence, right? She has to be related in some way to Konoka. She might even know were she is."

Setsuna closed her eyes for a moment.

"Yes I know."

She put pressure to her eyelids with her thumb and index finger, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"Ok, I'll figure this out." Setsuna opened her eyes, and nodded to herself, now calm and

collected as a retired body guard should be.

"Good," she said, "Me and Corey will come over later, okay? Happy Birthday!" -_click- _

She held the phone to her ear a little longer 'yeah, some happy birthday. Why does my birthday always have to be so disappointing?'

She put her cellphone in the pocket of her jeans she had changed into, and walked out of the room to greet her little guest. Rai looked up when she saw her coming from her perch on the girls head. The girl wasn't looking her way and didn't seem to notice her as she made her way over slowly. Rai seemed to be saying something to the girl and tapped a tiny paw on her head to get her attention. She caught only the last thing she said as she got in range to pick up what the fox was projecting.

**"...and this would be her." **making a gesture for her to turn to see her as Setsuna came to stand right next to the couch.

** "My master." **The girl stared up at Setsuna's face**, **eyes wide, apparently surprised to see she was pizza girl from yesterday. An awkward silence passed for a moment, until Setsuna realized that had been her cue to introduce her self.

"um... My name is Lissa..." another awkward silence came and she could feel herself frowning trying to think of something else to say to the girl who had just continued to stare, making her feel uncomfortable. There was something about her eye's that was a little unsettling, as to before when she just assumed they were brown. Now having a much better look (and not silently freaking out) she could see the red orange color outlining her iris's. Like wood in the fire place, the flame has just gone out but the timber is still hot with color and glowing. Beautiful, but not what made her uncomfortable.

What did was the emptiness within them, for as beautiful as they were, the life that was there just yesterday was gone.

Setsuna moved to be directly in front of the girl, and knelt down so they were at eye level. She felt immediately protective and the need to make it all better for this girl.

"Whats your name?" She put a gentle hand on the girls knee.

The girl looked at her finally really focusing on Setsuna's face.

"Honotsuki" she said it softly "Konoe Honotsuki."

Though at this point she was expecting this, the confirmation of Konoka and this girl being related still rocked her. She decided to ask later just how exactly they were related and, instead, delved into the issue at hand.

"Ok, Konoe-san," it felt weird and foreign on her tongue to say, especially since she was referring back to Japanese honorifics that she hadn't used in ages "I want to ask you what happened, but first lets get you something to eat. Is that alright with you?" The girl nods in conformation.

"Alright then, I cant cook so were gonna have to go get something. How does McDonald's sound to you?"

This the girl nodded to excitedly causing Rai to lose her balance a bit, her eye's shining again like before, and smiling. Setsuna couldn't help but smile to at how happy she got just from the mention of those golden arches.

"Perfect," she stood back up to her full height "You can use the bathroom in my room." she gestured for her to follow.

"I'll get you a spare toothbrush to use" Honotsuki got up and followed her into the room.

Setsuna walked into the bathroom and switched the light on. The bathroom was simple with only the basic necessities; toilet, stand in shower, and sink. The whole thing was about 2x2 yards. She reached for the mirror above the sink and pulled it open, to grab a new green tooth brush and half used toothpaste.

"Here," she placed them on the sink and turned to Honotsuki "go ahead and use these and wash your face. Just come out when your done, I'll be right in the room, okay?" the girl was now standing in the bathroom as she nodded her understanding. Setsuna nodded back and started to walk out of the bathroom, but was stopped by a small hand tugging on the hem of her shirt. Startled she looked back and down at Honostuki, questioningly, and Honostuki looked up at her and gave her a big smile.

"Thank you, Miss, for helping me" the girl was genuinely grateful, making Setsuna get a bit flustered. She looked away.

"Its-its no problem, really" the girl let go and Setsuna walked out, still just a bit embarrassed from the honest thanks, and let the door close behind her. She sighed out a breath, and walked over to the night table by her bed. She sat heavily on the bed next to it and slowly picked up a face down picture that she had put there last night. It was the picture the headmaster had sent with the letter. A fuzzy picture of Konoka only half turned toward the camera from the waste up, in time square. She traced the outline of her head softly with her thumb. There wasn't much detail in the picture, you could barely even see her eye's, but Setsuna knew it was her. Her heart ached seeing her there. She couldn't even look at the picture before now.

There she was, just walking around Time Square, seeing the sights. Life moved on for her without Setsuna. Maybe somewhere in her jumbled thoughts, she thought that it was a good thing that life didn't have to stop for her, but she couldn't help the feeling of betrayal there in the back of her mind. She needed to know why Konoka left, now more then ever.

She needed to find Konoka.

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><p><strong>Hey reader, I hoped You enjoyed this chapter, but You need to review. How am I gonna know you like this if you don't? So if I don't get at least 3 reviews I wont continue. Tell me how I did this chapter, what you think happened to Konoka? or just say 'hi whats up world?'. You could even say this sucks, that you hate me, or send me flames; I don't care, but You have got to review to tell me.<strong>

**I look forward to hearing from You,**

**See You next chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, sorry its been awhile but school shoved its foot up my ass. Had to make up a math credit to graduate high-school and I failed it again! Thank the flying spaghetti monster I didn't really care to walk with my class. I really just want to finally finish and join the coast guard. A little advice for those in high school still: If you suck at a subject and you failed, don't make it up online! Do summer school or night school like I'm gonna do. Its not worth doing at home. It just sucks."**

**BUUUTTTT...**

**I'm back and ready to BLOW YOUR MIND!**

**lol jk but I do hope you enjoy the chapter with a touch of konosetsu goodness and a much longer chapter. **

**For every one who reviewed, THANK YOU! I think the only reason I even remembered to come back to this was the reviews so I shower You with gingerbread cookies! (You better like them!)**

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><p>Chapter 5- Echo's<p>

**A month before Setsunas birthday- 6 years ago -**

_It was morning before school and Setsuna was sitting tensely in Konoka's dorm waiting for breakfast. The room was filled with bad energy and no one dared to speak seeing how Setsuna was glaring intensely at the wall. _

_After flat out refusing to hear what her brother had to say, he calmly left without a word. The relief Setsuna felt after his departure was short lived when she found him in Konoka and Asuna's dorm making himself comfortable at the table with a cup of tea with a smiling Konoka. Setsuna was furious seeing him so close to her charge, but her anger was held back when Konoka got up and told her how "_awesome"_ it was that she had a brother and that she was so _"lucky" _to have him come find her so they could be a family. She looked so happy for her that Setsuna couldnt bare to correct her that it was NOT _"awesome" _to have a brother and she was NOT_"lucky" _that her family and tribe wanted her back. _

'_What can they possibly want after all this time anyway?' _

_Asuna, who had been sitting facing Setsuna and her brother, finally couldn't take it any more and slammed her hands on the table,_

"_Okay, what the hells the problem?" she said looking between the half siblings. Setsuna stayed silent and looked away from Asuna as Konoka yelled to Setsuna,_

"_Setchan, can you come and help me bring the food to the table?" Setsuna immediately got up and took the chance to get away from Hayden and Asuna. She walked into the kitchen and her frown disappeared seeing Konoka's smiling face and a little bit pancake batter on her nose. _

"_Can you get the other two plates on the counter?" She was already holding two to take with her._

"_Wait, you have something on your nose." Setsuna pointed at her nose a smile reaching her lips, as she walked to the counter. Konoka's eyes went cross eyed trying to look at it making Setsuna's smile grow. Konoka had her hands full and couldn't wipe it off her self._

"_Here, let me." Setsuna stood in front of her and wiped away the batter with her index finger. Without thinking she put that finger in her mouth and licked it clean. With her finger still in her mouth her eyes widened and her face went as red as a tomato when she realised what she did. _

"_Tha-that was," she struggled to explain her self as Konoka just started giggling "I-I don't know what- I apologize Ojousa-" she was cut off when Konoka leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. When Konoka pulled back, she had to hold back a fit of laughter when she saw Setsuna's now blood red face with eyes the size of saucers. She could almost imagine steam coming from her ears... She smiled instead of guffawing._

"_Thank you Settchan." she repositioned the plates in her arms and hands and walked passed her out of the kitchen. Setsuna, still in a daze, mechanically grabbed the plates and brought them over to the table. She set them down in front of those who were missing food, and had blissfully forgotten that her half brother was there..._

_Until she realized he was talking quite adamantly with Asuna and was now getting Konoka into the conversation. _

"_So why did you come to visit Setsuna?" Asuna seemed rightly suspicious of of the crow demons presence and was giving him a hard look. Setsuna refused to look anywhere but the food in front of her and tried to will the demon away with her mind. _

"_Asuna, you dont need a reason to want to see your siblings." Konoka piped in before Hayden answered. She sent a smile Setsuna's way but still she didn't look up. _

_Asuna wasn't convinced, but was about to let it drop before Hayden finally replied to her question. _

"_It is nice to see my sister after such a long time," Setsuna scowled at that, barely holding back from verbally attacking him. _'Just wait until we are away from Konoka. Then I'llgive you a reason to be _happy_ to see me.'

"_But that not why I came here." He looked to Setsuna who was now glaring intently at the wall across from her again, then back up to the other seemingly more interested girls._

"_I came here because my tribe is on the verge of extinction." That got Setsuna to look at him with wide eyes. He continued, "About three years ago, an unidentified illness swept through are people. Many died, but for some reason it only affected the woman and the disease only stopped after all of them were dead." He looked down with sad eyes and put down the fork he was using with a sigh. "My wife was one of the last to fall to the disease and now there is no one to continue the family line and the tribe is doomed to die because now we can not have children." _

_Setsuna almost felt sorry for him, but remorse was far from her mind when she started to realize what he wanted of her. She was already refusing in her head what he had yet to ask._

_She couldn't tell if Asuna and Konoka caught on but they stayed silent waiting for him to finish. _

"_Setsuna," He looked to her with desperate eyes, "please, we need you're help-" she cut him off before he could finish. _

"_No." she looked at him with disgust "You of all people have no right to ask me for favors, especially one like this." She shook her head at the absurdity of it all. "Go find a whore or something if you're desperate enough to ask me such a thing."_

"_Setsuna we need to keep the bloodline as pure as possible. You are the only option we have." _

_She glared at him and then looked at Konoka who was staring at her with an unreadable expression and then to Asuna who's face was scrunched with confusion apparently not catching on. She looked back to Hayden with hard eyes._

"_Hayden, I think its time that you leave." She watched as the desperation in his eyes slowly turned to suppressed anger. _

"_You will regret this decision." He didn't move to get up and instead kept his eyes on hers. Fear began to trickle slowly into Setsuna's mind from long ago and she had to look away or succumb to it. With that he rose to his feet and left._

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><p>Present day-<p>

"Have you ever been on a motorcycle before?" Setsuna asked the little girl who was walking with her down the stairs of her apartment. Honotsuki shook her head and said

"No, my mommy says those are dangerous." Setsuna looked down at the girl as they got to the garage under the building.

"Well, your mom is very right, they are, but I promise you wont get hurt with me." They reached her new bike and were now standing in front of it.

"Do you trust me?" She smiled as the girl looked up at her and stared at her face. She studied it and still looking at her she nodded "I trust you" Setsuna's smile grew a little bigger.

"Great," she opened to compartment just below the seat and took out a helmet for the little girl. She frowned at it realizing it was to big for her and called Rai, knowing she would hear her from the apartment.

"**Yes master?"** The fox appeared before her eyes and landed on the bike.

"Rai could you possibly shrink this so its her size?" She knew the fox had some magic power but had only ever bothered to use it once to unclog the sink in her kitchen.

Without even replying the helmet shrunk in her hands to just the right size and as an added bonus for the little girl, it turned from dull black to shiny hot pink.

"Wow! My mommy cant even do stuff like that!" Honotsuki's eyes shined with excitement and then her mood dropped when she remembered her mom wasn't here. Setsuna noticed the change and quickly tried to change the subject. Even though she desperately wanted to know who her mom was she would wait to ask questions after she made sure the girl was fed.

"Come here so I could help you strap this on." She knelt down in front of her and lightly placed the helmet on her head and strapped it on. _'that is just to adorable...' _she stared at the little girls face as it brightened when the helmet was finally in place. It matched the little pink shirt and sneakers she had on perfectly. She turned and thanked Rai and she poof-ed away back to the apartment. Putting on her cool shiny black helmet that also matched with her black tank top and, she helped Honotsuki get on the bike and then got on her self.

"Hold on to me, ok?" her voice came out muffled from the helmet as she looked over her shoulder. Her conformation was Honotsuki putting her hands on Setsuna's stomach. She started the bike and drove out of the garage. They could have just walked to the McDonald's down the block but she wanted to take a look around where the picture of Konoka had been taken and was going to the one in Time Square.

The drive there was faster on bike then it would have been by car, and they got there in only ten minutes. Setsuna parked the bike a few blocks down from there destination making sure to put her motorcycle lock on the the back wheel before they started walking towards the McDonald's.

Time square was crowded with tourist that day and with out even thinking about it, Honotsuki took Setsuna's hand in her own smaller hand so she wouldn't get lost. Setsuna was surprised and even blushed a little but didn't question it. It would be horrible if she lost the little girl here of all places. So still holding hands Setsuna asked the girl a crucial question.

"So, Konoe-san, have you been here before?" She looked down at the girl who was looking at the giant Coca-Cola billboard smack dab in the center of Time Square. She nodded.

"Just once with my mommy. She took me to the Toys R Us store and bought me candy and-" she paused shoving a hand in her front jean pocket. "-this."

She held out for Setsuna to look at, a little toy knight just the size of her pinkie. Setsuna took it with her free hand and turned it over. It was a funny little rounded baby like knight and Setsuna smiled and handed it back to her.

"Why did you want that from all the toys in the store?" the knight was cute but Honotsuki looked more like the Barbie type.

"I wanted to be like mommy." she said innocently as they walked into the crowded McDonald's. Setsuna didnt ask what that meant but instead asked what she wanted to eat.

"Uhh... Do you want a happy meal?" Setsuna, although she was the one to suggest it, disliked McDonald's greatly. She had only tried eating there once out of desperation and that didn't go over well when she finally lost it the middle the restaurant. She stared dumbly,while in line, at the menu wondering what part of the chicken, nuggets came from...

"Yeah! I want that toy!" She pointed excitedly to the display that showed off the toys they were giving this month. She pointed specifically to a little rainbow pony unicorn-thing.

"You can have the toy but what about food?" Setsuna said sternly. The little girl put a finger to her chin and looked up thinking.

"Umm... a plain cheese burger with french fries and honey." Setsuna nodded and repeated to herself what she said _'Cheese burger plain, french fries and hon... wait, honey?' _

She looked down confused.

"Honey?" The girl got excited.

"I love honey! I put it on everything!" She was jumping in place just thinking about the sweet liquid gold.

Setsuna shrugged_ '...to each their own I suppose.' _

They finally reached the front of the line and Setsuna ordered just a Lemonade for her self and then proceeded to order Honotsuki's food.

"...And for her I need a Happy meal with a plain cheese burger and... what do you want to drink?" she asked her little companion.

"Apple juice!"

Setsuna looked back up to the cashier "And apple juice."

They waited for there food and then went to a table by a window on the top floor of the McDonald's were it was less crowded. Setsuna watched Honostsuki dig into her food, pulling out the burger from her smiley face box and pouring her fries onto the burger wrapper. She waited a few minutes before she decided to finally ask what she had been wanting to know since she saw the girl lying on her couch. She took a sip of her lemonade to wet the dryness in her throat.

"Konoe-san," the girl looked up as she finished her burger and had her mouth full looking at Setsuna. She swallowed her food down and Setsuna cleared her throat to continue.

"Do you, by any chance, know your mothers name?" She looked expectantly at the little girl who was starring at her at her now confused.

"Yeah I do." she tilted her head to the side "Why?" She started to pick at her fries that she had left untouched until now, dipping them in honey for every bite.

"I need to know who your mom is so we can find her. Could you tell me her name?"

She swallowed the fry she was eating and bit her bottom lip.

"Mom said I'm not suppose to tell people that. She said its dangerous for anyone to know us." She looked down at her fries, looking a little sad. Setsuna's brow furrowed looking at the small child in front of her. She leaned forward and sighed.

"Can I ask you something else then?" The girl looked back up and nodded. "Why did you know that old nickname, Setchan?" Setsuna thought that at this point hiding who she was probably would be more annoying then helpful. It was time to take back her old name.

The little girls eyes widened a bit.

"Do you know her?" This was the moment of truth and Setsuna went for it.

"I...I am her. My real name is Setsuna, and the only person who I ever let call me Setchan was a dear friend of mind." it felt surprisingly good to call herself by her real name and she smiled a bit.

Honotsuki on the other hand had her mouth open in shock and moments later anger appeared on cherubic face.

The change in emotion was such a shock to Setsuna that she just stayed silent as the little Konoka doppelganger went on a tirade.

"Where were you? Mommy needed you yesterday!" Her eyes watered. "She had to fight all those bad people on her own *sniff* all by herself protecting me. Why weren't you there to help?"

Setsuna was stunned into silence. _'wait... so this really is Konoka's... daughter?'_

It wasn't like the thought _'maybe this is Konoka's daughter' _hadn't crossed her mind. She would have to be a moron not to put the pieces together. The confirmation; however, was still surprising and surreal.

_Konoka... has a kid... and she's right in front of me..._

The second she came out of her stunned silence she spoke in a whisper.

"So this is why... This, is why she left?" She shook her head. "She couldn't trust me..."

She didn't notice when Honotsuki got up to leave, but when she looked back to were she had been she was gone.

"Shit!" Setsuna got up and called for her but she was gone. '_No no no no! _She ran out the McDonald's as fast as she could trying to catch even a glimpse of which way she went. For once she was lucky and saw her running through the crowd across the street. She ran after her across the closed off street and called out to her.

"Honotsuki, Wait!" The little girl looked back once and upon seeing the crow demon running after her she picked up the pace running into the huge Macy's. Setsuna followed, picking up speed as she passed through the open doors. This side of the store ended up being the jewelry and perfume department and she was overwhelmed with powerful nauseating flowery smells.

'_Damn enhanced demon senses!' _She covered her nose and closed her eyes cringing unprepared for the assault on her nose. She slowed to a stop to get her barrings . The child wasn't anywhere to be seen and Setsuna started to panic as she looked anywhere she could be hiding. She was about to give up and head for the clothing department to check there when she caught the sound of sniffles. She looked over the nearest display of jewelry and spotted the tiny girl curled up crying with her back against the glass.

Setsuna sighed inwardly and then took a quick look around. Seeing as no one was paying attention she quickly but silently jumped over the display counter and crouched down next to the small child who hadn't noticed her yet. She knew she should probably hurry and just pick up the kid and run before someone watching through the cameras would send security, but she didn't really know how to approach her. What was she suppose to say?_ 'Hey I'm sorry your mom is a fucking douche bag'?_

Well she obviously wasn't going to say that. She didn't really believe that herself despite how much better it made her feel to say in her head. Instead she touched her shoulder gently and waited till she looked up at her.

Amber eyes with swirls of golden fire stared into her face. Tears streaked down her cheeks and her bottom lip quivered.

'_so adorable!'_

Setsuna took her into her arms and hugged her tightly, the same way she would have for Konoka, and rocked her back and forth.

"Please don't cry, I'll find your mother" a few silent moments passed with a few sniffles impeding the quiet until Honotsuki pulled away.

"You promise?"

Setsuna smiled "Yeah, I promise." Setsuna got a sheepish look on her face when she noticed a security guard curiously staring down at them from behind the glass.

"Miss, I'm gonna have to kindly ask you to take your kid and yourself out of there."

She blushed when she realised the guard had assumed that Honotsuki was _her_ child. She would have protested the statement but she didn't know how to explain her relationship with the child. Instead she got up to bow and apologise forgetting that Americans dont usually get the bowing. The guard had an eyebrow lifted when she stood straight again but accepted the apology and watched her pick up the kid and begin to leave the store. The guard shook his head and walked back to his post muttering something about how weird Asians were.

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><p>Far from where they were, in an old apartment complex, a young woman was struggling against chains that held her down. '<em>Damn it! If I could just use even a little bit up of my magic...'<em>

She continued to struggle against the chains until she heard someone enter the small apartment she was trapped in. She glared at the door she knew would soon open to reveal the person who both ruined her life and gave her the thing she loved more than anything else in the world.

The door creaked on its hinges, slowly revealing Honotsuki's father. He stepped in to the room, not bothering with the light, and stood over the woman who was chained to the floor. He was covered in shadow and she could not see his face. She was sure he had his face set in the same way it always had been; his mouth flat and a frown in his eyes. Calculating eyes that she was sure could still see her despite the darkness that embraced them both.

"How have you been Konoka," he crouched down and gently caressed her face, "my dear wife?" She jerked away from his touch and glared into were she assumed his face was.

"I am not your wife, damn it." she bared her teeth at him in anger.

The man was silent for a moment, surprised that the young human was no longer afraid of him. When the surprise faded an uncharacteristic smile graced his face, one that Konoka couldn't see. He was silent for a while longer, staring into the angry face in front of him until Konoka began to fidget under his eyes. The silence was broken when he finally spoke again.

"Where is she?"

He didn't need to say who. She already knew and she grinned.

"She's in good hands." She had made sure that _she_ would find Honotsuki and _she_ was sure she would take good care of her. _She_ was smart, she had thought, _she_ would figure things out.

He grabbed her by the neck suddenly and squeezed a surprised gasp from her throat.

"Who is she with?" He didn't shout, he never shouted, but the suppressed anger was coming clear through his voice. She struggled to breath but made sure her next words came out clear.

"You won't ever be able to touch her again. She'll protect her with every thing she has."

He was silent but loosened his grip.

"who?" He whispered the question, already knowing the answer.

She just stared at him not answering so he let her go with a shove and stood. She coughed as she sat up again. He stared at her for another minute before turning and leaving the room. He had plenty of work to do.

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><p>Somewhere along the way back to the motorcycle, Honotsuki ended up on Setsuna's shoulders and was giggling uncontrollably and Setsuna was smiling, holding on to her legs to keep her from falling back.<p>

"Hey, um, Setsuna?" She looked up to see Honotsuki staring down at her.

"Yes?"

The girl grinned. "Can I call you Setchan?"

Setsuna looked back to were they where walking making sure not to crash into anyone.

" I don't see why not."

Konoka really was the only one who called her that, but whatever, it was her daughter anyway.

"Yay!"

Setsuna grinned.

"Do you have a nickname?"

You could hear the pout in her voice, "no".

"You don't? Really?" She looked up at her surprised. "Your mom never gave you one?"

The little girl giggled, "No, unless you consider 'Sweety' and 'Honey' nicknames."

Setsuna hummed. "Do you want a nickname?" Honotsuki jumped on her shoulders excited.

"Yeah! Like what though?" She looked down at Setsuna curious.

"Well, I was thinking something like your mom's nickname, Konochan, but instead of the 'K' we put an 'H' for Honochan." they reached the motorcycle and Setsuna put the girl down. "Do you like that?" Setsuna looked down at the tiny child. The girl grinned and jumped high in the air, higher than a normal human child should, and shouted "Yes!" and hugged Setsuna around the neck.

Setsuna was flustered from the contact but she was becoming more comfortable with the situation. Maybe she wasn't so great with kids, but so what? This one seemed happy with her and she was starting to like the little half-demon.

Where ever the heck Konoka was she would definitely find her, but in the meantime, Honochan was safe with her.

**That ends this chapter. Tell me what You thought about it and I will update as soon as possible. Look out for my other story too, _Dog on the Mind_.**

**I'm gonna have the first chapter done soon so watch out for it and, Yes, It is KonoSetsu.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys I'm back once again. It seems I have a tendency to disappear after short spurts of writing so please forgive me if you have been biting your nails waiting for a new chapter. Since this story takes place mostly in New York, I would like to wish the folks on the east coast who have been affected by the storm good luck with the recovery effort. Being from Miami, I have an idea of what You guys went through with Sandy. Hurricanes suck. A lot. I kinda wish it hit us instead since we get hurricanes all the time and we know how to deal with them and Were built for it.**

**Either way my best wishes go out to You guys.**

**On another note, I would like to say that this story takes place a few years before 2012 so You will not see anything concerning the storm in the story.**

**So without further ado here is the next Chapter of 25 to Start Again.**

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**Chapter 6- Cuz He Made You Perfect (part 1)**

_The night before_

_Its dark. The sun had gone down a few hours ago and the only light came from the street lamps over our heads. Cars passed by us as we walked, but other than that we are alone. I look up at mommies face when we reach a crosswalk. She looks nervous but not scared. She's biting her bottom lip, thinking, looking straight ahead. I reached for her hand squeezed it. She stopped biting her lip and gave me a nervous smile._  
><em>"We're almost there."<em>  
><em>The walking man flashes and we make are way across the street.<em>  
><em>Mommy didn't tell me where "there" was. We had been eating dinner at a family restaurant when she got a call. I knew it was important when she saw the caller I.D because instead of ignoring it like she normally did if we were eating, she picked up on just the second ring. Her eyes had widened as she talked into the phone.<em>  
><em>"Are you sure? Its really her this time?" the muffled voice on the other end came through softly but I couldn't understand what they said.<em>  
><em>My mommy had grabbed a napkin and a pen from her purse and wrote down numbers as the voice was saying them. It looked like and address.<em>  
><em>She finished and ended the call.<em>  
><em>She took a deep breath with her eyes closed, held it, then blew it out.<em>  
><em>She opened her eyes, looked at me and she just smiled and told me to finish my macaroni and cheese.<em>  
><em>Now we were here, walking by apartment complexes. Every once in while Mommy would look at the street numbers, seeing where we were. Still holding her hand I could feel the excitement building from her and even though I wasn't sure what she was happy about, it felt contagious as I started to feel it too and I smile.<em>  
><em>Mommy stops suddenly and freezes in place, her hand yanking me back. Something is wrong. Mommy felt it and now I feel it. I shiver because now I'm scared, the happy feeling from before gone. She pulls my hand tells me to hurry.<em>  
><em>We are running now. From what, I am not sure. But I don't look back because I feel the cold and evil creeping closer. We can't out run whatever is chasing us and mommy knows it. She's looking around for something, an escape maybe but there is none. At least not for both of us. She yanks me into an ally and shoves me in between a few garbage cans and a dumpster. She tells me to be quiet as she quickly does a spell and touches my head. I feel light and tired now and I watch Mommy stand up straight and looks back where we came from. My eyes are closing but I can make out the shadows of what is chasing us. Mommy leans down and kisses me once on the head and runs out to where the shadows are. She looks back once then runs out of sight as my eyes blink close and I fall asleep.<em>

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><p>"...then when I woke up I was alone."<br>Setsuna was staring at the tiled floor of her apartment when Honotsuki finished her recounting of events. they were both seated on the couch in Setsuna's living room. Apparently, after delivering the pizza, Honotsuki dropped it on the floor and the pizza was ruined. She carried the box to her hotel room crying the whole way, and showed her mom what she had done. Konoka had said it was alright and they went out to eat instead. That's when she got a phone call from somebody. From what Setsuna gathered, Konoka had to have been looking for somebody, maybe Setsuna her self, and on the way somebody went after them. Honotsuki didn't know who these people were besides knowing that she and her mom had been running from them her whole life.  
>'Whoever these people are they have to have Konoka. If she was coming to find me then she would have come here by now.'<br>She felt a strong pang in her chest and her hands went cold.  
>'Oh my god... has she been looking for me? She's been looking for me all this time and I...god.'<br>Setsuna put her face in her hands.  
>'I'm such an ass. Look at me having a pity party for myself all these years and Konoka's been fighting...Whatever it is she was running from all on her own.'<br>Leaning forward with her face still in her hands, Rai landed on the back of her head.  
>"Master, its not your fault. You couldn't have known." Though the words may have been true she couldn't help but feel guilty. Something had happened to Konoka and whatever it was she failed to protect her from it. She was about to start bawling when she felt a little hand squeeze her knee. She moved her fingers out of the way of her right eye and saw one of Honotsuki's big flame colored eyes.<br>"Mommy wouldn't blame you for not being there to help. She never blamed you" She looked down, "And I'm sorry for getting mad before. I know if you had known you would've helped mommy."  
>Setsuna lowered her hands, feeling a small weight lifted from her shoulders. She gave the girl a small smile laying her larger hand on hers.<br>"Thank you. I needed that."  
>Honotsuki looked up and gave her a huge smile, one like Konoka's, and gave her quick hug.<br>"No problem Setchan." Setsuna hugged her back and smiled more.  
>'This feels nice...'<br>As the thought went through her mind there was a loud knock on her door. She wasn't expecting anyone except Tifani, but she was coming over around 3:00 and it was only 1:30. With a furrowed brow she let go of Honotsuki and Rai jumped off her head. She stood up and walked the short distance to the front door. She could hear chatter coming from the other side and it sounded like two people arguing. She was confused and was tempted not to answer the door at all, when the choice was made for her.  
>The door was kicked down with a shuddering crack. It smacked into her dropping her to the floor before she could react and she was being crushed by the door.<br>'What the fu...' Somebody then stepped on to the door and a familiar voice shouted'  
>"SETSUNA! We KNOW you're IN HERE! COME OUT HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR ASS!"<br>Somebody else stepped on the door with her, making Setsuna grunt at the extra weight.  
>"Asuna! You can't just break into peoples houses like this! I don't know how things work here but I'm pretty sure thats against the law!" It sounded different but that was definitely Negi's voice.<br>'Asuna and Negi? How did they get here?'  
>Despite being crushed by their combined weight, the nostalgia she felt from just hearing them argue felt nice.<br>"Who cares! Setsuna's hiding in here somewhere and when I find her I'm gonna shove my foot up her-" Asuna was stopped mid rant by a grunt coming from under her feet.  
>"I'm not hiding," She gasped for breath, "You're crushing me."<br>There was second of pause, then Setsuna's body was relieved of the weight on top of her. The door was lifted from her crumbled form quickly and when she was free she waved pathetically from where she was, "Hi."

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><p><strong>Well wasn't that a short chapter? Sorry my muse has gone down the drain and I suck at writing to begin with so this is what You get. I'm gonna try updating Dog on the Mind next but I'm having an even harder time with that one. Hope You guys are up for a long wait.<strong>

**I would also like to mention that a large part of this story is really the relationship between Setsuna and Honotsuki. That is where the initial inspiration for this came from and though I love KonoSetsu you aren't going to get that for a while. **

**Another thing. Does anyone know what the title of this means or where I got it from?**

**Tell me what You think reader.**


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